I’m Biting You in the Butt. And Other Adventures at Skansen in Stockholm.

Stockholm, as many of you know, is my former hometown. Now spending the month of July here with family and friends is a real treat. The weather is fantastic and the whole city is in ‘summer mode’. Walkers, bikers, flowers and restaurants have taken over many streets in the central parts of the city, like this one where I’m staying.

The day is 18 hours long, the sun rises before 4 a.m. and goes to sleep around 10 p.m. The picture below was taken around 10:30 p.m., just after sunset. Unfortunately this night owl is not inclined to get up early enough to offer sunrise pictures.

There are so many places to visit, but first I wanted to go to Skansen, the world’s first and oldest open-air museum. And a place where we took numerous weekend walks when our son was small. So last Sunday my sister and I made plans to go there. I invite you to join us.

The Swedish way of life in the past is exhibited in villages of authentic old residences, farmsteads, shops, a pottery, a bakery, a bank, a post office and a large number of specialized workshops and factories, store houses and barns. These exhibitions are manned with people sporting time-typical outfits. They can tell the stories (in many languages) about life in Sweden from late 1600s to early 1900s. Please follow us to the glassblower’s workshop, where the master is working on small animals in brilliant colors. Then we’ll stop at the general store, the bakery, and the pottery still making lergods typical in Sweden in the 1800s and early 1900s.

Next, let’s take a peek into the life of middle class people at a house where the publisher and his wife lived in early to mid-1800s. Their parlor houses an old piano in a good working order and we can see the weekly magazine they published spread on the dining table. The intricate wall paper is not clued onto the walls, but as customary, it’s nailed on the walls so that should the family need to move, they could take it to their new house.

The workers’ quarters are not as elaborate, many people used to live in one room in a house like this. We can also take a peek through the door into the shopkeeper’s room adjacent to the shop.

We walk the cobblestone alleys between the old houses enjoying the beauty preserved from old times.

Next we find a bank and a government office.

Skansen also houses authentic old farmsteads and typical farm animals, such as cows, pigs, goats and chicken. I focused my camera only on the smaller, more colorful animals.

Passing a windmill, a belfry and a traditional (now dried out) midsummer pole, we can observe a woman taking care of her cottage garden, just like women had done in the 1800s.

From there we walk to see some Nordic wildlife. The huge brown bear is bound to leave a lasting impression.

The lynx appears sweet like a house cat, but appearances can be deceiving…

And at the home of the wolf, we are in for a surprise. Mama wolf has three cubs!

We stay for a while and watch the cubs play. Luckily they have a large area to explore. Finally our feet decide it’s time for a late lunch at one of the restaurants and we round up our ‘wild tour’ by visiting the moose and the European bison.

Of course we have to ‘shoot’ some birds on the way too. The Skåne geese have young goslings. (Aww). And finally we have to document the Swedish version of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard.

Greetings from Skansen and thank you for visiting this unique museum with us!

I too felt that I was with you every step of the way. Skansen is spectacularly beautiful and you brought it to life for me with your brilliant descriptions and photography.
Thank you for sharing this with us Helen, and enjoy the rest of your stay in beautiful Sweden!

Thanks Deb! Skansen is very beautiful … and very big 🙂 We walked about five miles, but saw only a part of it. From there we went to an art gallery and finally took a short trip on the boat back to the city. So much to see … I hope to get time to post again before I come back. Miss you all…and Mr. D. Have a great weekend in DFW!

Thank you for taking us on this fantastic walk through Skansen. Your photos are wonderful and give such athmosphere to all we see. You are right to be proud of this outdoor museum that is built with so much care.
Enjoy your holiday in Sweden.
I am leaving for Gothenburg in a week.😊 .

Thank you, Miriam! The weather has been sunny and (very) warm…and there are so many great places to visit in Stockholm. Skansen is one of my favorites. It has improved over the years and is truly a gem now. Welcome to Sweden 🙂

Oh, my goodness! What a wonderful blog post. Thank you first for the giggles and smiles the header picture brought to me. Those little wolf cubs are adorable. What beautiful and amazing things you have captured in pictures sweet Tiny. I would love to see all this in person. Thank you for showing in pictures some of the beauty and uniqueness of Sweden. Love it! Hugs

Thank you dear Mags! I loved to watch the wolf cubs. They were so playful and cute 🙂 I am happy you liked the ‘tour’ of this great outdoor museum…an oasis of nature very close to the city center. Have a wonderful week ahead, my friend. Many hugs from Stockholm.

Thanks for taking us along on your walk down memory lane Helen. Seeing and reading about Skansen and Stockholm is quite a thrill for me. These are places that I know very little about and always wanted to learn more. Wonderful photos and post!

I am happy you enjoyed the long walk with us. Skansen is a wonderful oasis very close to the city center. Beautiful nature, lots of history and animals typical of Sweden – and so many memories for me 🙂

I hope you can visit Sweden, Hien. Skansen is an oasis of nature and history in the middle of the city. You can take a bus or walk….but since you are bound to walk miles there (we did about 5 miles and didn’t see everything), bus is recommended 🙂

Thank for joining us for this walk, Susan! I am having a wonderful time. It is dark only about 2-3 hours now, the rest is either daylight (lots of sun and low to mid 80s temperatures!) or twilight before sunrise or after sunset. I am also enjoying meeting good old friends so it’s good that the days are long 🙂

Thank you, dear Celestine! I am happy you enjoyed the walking tour among the old buildings and wildlife. Skansen is an oasis of nature almost in the city center and despite quite a few visitors it was very peaceful indeed 🙂

Such a delightful post with extraordinary authentic photos,Helen!Can’t believe people live so peacefully there and keep tradition at all levels.It feels as if time has forgotten those wondrous locations.Loved all your storytelling photos,the little cubs and mama wolf are absolutely adorable.When you come back you must show them to Mr Dylan.
Enjoy the rest of your stay in the Nordic paradise,dear friend 🙂

Thank you dear Doda for coming along to Stockholm. Skansen has an amazing collection of “living history”. The stories about life in all those houses/places were fascinating. And of course the little, playful wolf cubs were the highlight of our visit. I will certainly show those pictures to Mr. D. 🙂

It was really fascinating,your post made me feel I stepped back in time.Thank you for your recent visit and your lovely comment,I’ve seen it,but like you,I prefer to enjoy first whatever new comes from my WP friends,and then reply to all the responds I got.

Thank you for taking us on this special tour Helen, the cobble-stoned alleys and old houses give us a wonderful glimpse of another time. It was great to see the bear and what a treat to see a mama wolf and her cubs – they look adorable! Enjoy the rest of your stay and much love to you from all of us here :o) xxx

Thank you for coming along, Xenia! The stories about all these old houses were a treat…another time suddenly became alive. I also loved to watch the wolf cubs…could have stayed for hours 🙂 Much love to all of you from Stockholm ❤ XXX

It is very beautiful here in the summer…and this year it’s warm too! High 80s right now…and no A/C inside 🙂 I loved the walk at Skansen, the stories of life long ago came to life beautifully there. Thank you my friend 🙂

Your are right, my friend, lots of beautiful memories are flooding back. And meeting many friends I have not seen in 15-20 years has been uplifting! I thought of all the marsh residents when I saw the mallard couple…I’m sure I’ll find Sandy when I go back home in two weeks 🙂
Much love. XXX

Happy to “see” you Robin! The weather has been stellar, now high 80s but not humid. I just got a text/photo message from Dylan…I miss him, but my sister’s poodle does really well as a stand in 🙂 See you in a bit less than two weeks!

Helen it looks beautiful. We too are having long days but not quite as long as that. Such lovely colours in the sky. The museum is intriguing and reminds me of our own Heritage Park although we don’t have the wildlife aspect. I hope you continue to have a lovely visit.

Thank Tina! I hope you can come back one day. I visited last Christmas, but before that it was a long time…always went to see my dad who lived in Finland. So wonderful to be here now…and spotting the cubs was a cherry on the top of that great day in Skansen.

Wow! Thank you so much for letting us join you on this outing! It’s brilliant to see this open air museum and glimpse into life from olden days. I was taken with the beautiful piano and the idea they nailed on the wallpaper to take with them if they moved. Why not?! To have people in dress from the period adds so much to the overall immersive experience. Tiny, I am so happy that you had this chance to visit Skansen again with your sister … it looks magical. The only time I went to Skansen was to see a concert (I had to go after watching every summer the TV show from there with Lasse Berghagen)! Less than a week until I am in Sweden and I can’t wait – the heatwave in the UK is now sapping all my energy! Soon the chance to swim in the sea and lakes, enjoy the cool of the forest trees! Have a brilliant time in Sweden and hope you can post a bit more about your holiday. Hej då!❤️🌺

Hej Annika! Skansen was a place we visited often with our son when we lived in Stockholm, but it had been about 10 years since we last visited with him and his then fiancé. Thoroughly enjoyed all of it. We have also gone to two art exhibitions (Swedish painters, more later) and been on the water. It’s hot here too and it seems to continue at least for this week. Enjoy your Swedish vacation, Annika ❤ XXX

Thanks Tiny for taking us on a wonderful tour of your home specialty shops. I love the flowers in the streets. A 14 hour day is amazing imagine how much one could accomplish or how tired one could get! So glad you are blessed with good weather and loving family my friend 😊

I have had a wonderful “home holiday” so far. The weather is keeping quite hot considering houses here do not have A/C, but it is nice to be able to use the long day to the fullest. A small trip to Finland with my sister is next. Have a great day and weekend ahead, my friend.

It is very beautiful here, but the hot weather has continued so long that we all would love some cooling rain 🙂 Houses don’t have A/C here and cooling inside is a challenge now. I actually thought of you when I walked among the old houses at Skansen, you would have enjoyed seeing them too 🙂

Thank you for sharing this visit with us! It’s a real treat to see glimpses of this beautiful town. It must be quite a challenge with no A/C during a heat wave. Here in Tsukuba, Japan we are having a terrible heat wave 😦 Our A/C is doing a lot of “overtime” work. Hope you continue to have a lovely summer!

Thank you for joining the visit at Skansen. I am just now home in FL and a/c. They still have the heat wave until this upcoming weekend. It is tiring everyone out because there’s no cool place apart from cold showers. It’s been the hottest July in Sweden in 265 years! I had a great time despite the heat and will try to post some stories in the coming days and weeks. Wishing you all the best, dear Takami.

Hello again my friend. Like Sweden, we are experiencing one of the worst summers in history. As you say, the heat itself is draining, with little respite even with luxuries such as cold showers and A/C. It seems that much of the northern hemisphere is experiencing these usual temperatures…probably because of global warming 😦

I am glad you are back home safe and sound and with the A/C. I am not sure if I have sent you a personal email or not, but I wanted to say I finally got to view the movie “A Dolphin Tail” and enjoyed it very much! I have fallen in love with Winter. The sequel is not available on DVD in Japan…I will see if I can pick up a Blu-ray from Amazon US site 🙂 Thank you for introducing & recommending through your posts!

I was reading this last night but had company, (my sister) and didn’t get to fully absorb this. What a great museum in every sense of that word!! I love seeing how things were done before and wish we had not lost so much of it. The bear worried me a bit. If it was close enough to photograph like that, I would be quite nervous though it’s a gorgeous creature. I loved every bit of this tour and would one day have loved to see it for myself. My children’s paternal grandmother came from Sweden so my daughter especially wants to visit there. I’ve always wanted an 18 hour day. 😉 Thanks for taking us along.

Thank you, Marlene, for coming along on this little tour! I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of life back in time and the preserved houses where people lived so long ago. I am back home now with lots of great memories and will try to post more stories in the days and weeks to come. I hope you and your daughter can visit Sweden some day – Stockholm is gorgeous in the summer.

Stockholm is one of the most beautiful cities in the world—in my opinion. I understand your excitement of being back. I haven’t been to Skansen for a very, very long time, so thank you for taking me along. Beautiful images.

Thank you, Otto, for joining this little tour of Skansen. I had a wonderful time indeed, both with family and old friends I had not met in 15+ years. I have tons of pictures so I will try to share some of them in the near future now that I am back home.

A wee visit to tell you that you have been in my thoughts,dear Helen.My heart is broken after the tragic event with the deadly wildfires in my country,in Carlifornia and the fast-moving,aggressive fires in Sweden.Have a safe trip back home,my lovely friend xxx

Thanks you for your thoughts,dear Doda. I am back home now. I am heartbroken about the tragic fires in Greece…and hope Sweden will get some rain to help with the many wildfires. There were over 50 fires scattered over the whole country when I was there. And the heatwave is still continuing…with some hope of a bit lower temperatures this coming weekend. Let’s hope Europe will cool down soon. Much love ❤

I have to thank you for responding,I am so glad you are safe back home.Sweden’s or Greece’s wildfires are everyone’s business,climate change has affected every corner of our planet.All those aggressive
wildfires have ravaged so many forests.Unfortunately,here in Greece,they were deadly wildfires.Europe boils right now,let’s hope it will soon get lower temps.Much love back to you & Dylan ❤ xxx

What a wonderful museum, Helen. I think the idea of nailing on the wallpaper is very thrifty indeed, but I wonder how the new owners of the house felt about the bare walls? Love your animal photos, especially the moose profile. Such a cute face he has. 🙂